SIDNEY, Neb. — Oktoberfest in rural Nebraska ended on Sunday with one of its most popular events.

The 20th annual Running of the Wieners started at 1:00 p.m. at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds.

The dog race has five different divisions. The Little Sizzler’s is for six weeks to one-year-old; Frankfurter’s is for one to five years old, Senior Wiener’s for five- to 10-year-olds, and Antique Viener Schnitzel for Weiner dogs 10 and older. There is also a close-enough category for any mixed wiener breed that is at least half wiener dog.

Each wiener dog raced head-to-head for a first and runner up place.

Cousins, Kale Kaiser and Grahm Santero said they have been attending the wiener dog races for a few years and finally have a wiener dog to compete with.

Santero said their weiner dog Honey is about six-months-old. Honey took first place in the Little Sizzler’s division.

The boys said they knew she could win because of how fast Honey is.

“We always run around with her in our backyard, and she chases chickens, turkeys, whatever we have,” Santero said.

The boys practiced with Honey all morning to help her bring home the gold.

“We came here a little bit earlier and measured how long the track was,” Kaiser said, “We just ran her back and forth at our house and let her take a little nap before we came.”

The two cousins said although they enjoy the Oktoberfest parade and all the other activities, the wiener dog races are always their favorite.

“Wiener dog races are the best,” Kaiser said.